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Our well equipped civilian professionals made a rapid and valuable contribution to internationally coordinated aid

On the morning of 8 November 2013, category 5 Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda) made first landfall over Eastern Samar province in the Philippines. Sustained, damaging winds of 235 km/h gusting to 275 km/h were accompanied by a tidal storm surge and subsequent inundation. The official number of fatalities stands at 6190, with 28 626 injuries attributed to the event, and over 16 million people affected.1

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On behalf of the AUSMAT deployees, I acknowledge the government of the Philippines and the Philippines Department of Health for their collaboration, and the people of Tacloban and Leyte province for allowing us to provide medical care. I acknowledge the support of Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Baggoley AO, members of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, and the staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Health, Emergency Management Australia, Royal Australian Air Force and the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, all of whom contributed to the deployment.

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